Backstage At Chanel's Métiers d’art Show
Staged in a French chateau, the annual show celebrating the Chanel artisans this year saw Virginie Viard provide some much needed fashion fantasy.
Staged in a French chateau, the annual show celebrating the Chanel artisans this year saw Virginie Viard provide some much needed fashion fantasy.
On Thursday evening Chanel invited the world into a modern fashion fantasy. Staged at the Château de Chenonceau, artistic director Virginie Viard transported viewers far away, enchanting us with the couture craftsmanship of the Chanel ateliers.
As is the tradition of the Métiers d’Art show, first launched by the late Karl Lagerfeld in 2002, the annual spectacle celebrates the eleven specialist workshops that Chanel has held close since 1984. Last year, the French house announced the construction of a new headquarters which will house the artisans together just North of Paris, nurturing and protecting the talent behind France's association with luxury and craftsmanship.
The Chanel Métiers d’Art shows are quite the occasion, with a grand sense of spectacle owed not only to the demi-couture clothes but also to the locations and showstopper sets. Previous destinations include Shanghai, Rome, Edinburgh, Salzburg, Austria, Dallas and of course Paris; last year's set was co-designed by director Sofia Coppola.
This year however, the location became the set as Viard took Chanel to the Loire Valley in France. Due to travel restrictions and the small problem of a global pandemic, Chanel pre-filmed an audienceless show which was revealed last night and can be explored in full on SHOWstudio. Set in a fairytale castle, with appearances by long-time Chanel muse Kristen Stewart, the collection was revealed against the grand hallways of the 15th century retreat.
For all the magnificence that the Château de Chenonceau brought with it, the real magic happens when you get up close with the clothes. Viard spoke of the sense of duty of the women and Queens of France who once lived in the castle, and one can't help but then think of the admirable duty of the Chanel artisans, keeping their couture craft alive. The Atelier Montex painstakingly embroidered castle motifs in the style of a children's story, milliner Maison Michele created swooping and rather regal black hats whilst Lesage made gold floral embroideries mirroring those in the castle gardens. From the costume jewellers of Desrues to the fournisseurs of Lemarié, the real fashion fantasy comes courtesy of craftsmanship seen up close.
